No casualties were reported.
The China Eastern Airlines plane returned to the airport after it was struck by birds on its right engine about 10 minutes after the takeoff, a spokesman with the Hefei Xinqiao International Airport said.
The bird strike led to a mechanical fault in the engine, forcing the plane to turn around, the official said.
The flight was later cancelled and passengers were transferred to another plane, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
An Air China plane also returned to the airport yesterday due to a bird strike about nine minutes after takeoff.